Disney has announced that the 2021 Walt Disney World Marathon and 2021 Disney Princess Half Marathon will be converted to virtual races instead of in-person events. The runDisney announcement cites the difficulties of holding races of this size under the current health conditions.
Runners who already signed up for either race have the option of receiving a full refund or participating in the events virtually.
Details from the announcement:
While we share our Guests’ disappointment that we will not be running together in person, we have based this decision on the unique circumstances of hosting a road race experience on this scale under the current environment.
Participants who registered through runDisney.com will have the option of receiving a full refund for the race. Those who are registered with a U.S. mailing address may convert their existing registration to the new virtual event that can be completed from home, a local running track or favorite running trail.
Eligible runners who participate in the virtual race will receive a medal for each distance they complete and the option of a race shirt, in addition to the satisfaction of completing the race they’ve trained for. Registered participants will receive an email beginning September 23 with instructions on how to make their registration selection before October 7, 2020.
Previously, the 2021 Walt Disney World Marathon was supposed to be held January 6-10 and the 2021 Disney Princess Half Marathon was going to be held February 18-21. Converting these two events to virtual races means the next in-person race on the runDisney calendar is the 2021 Star Wars Rival Run Weekend on April 18-21.
Runners looking for refund information or details on the virtual events should visit runDisney’s official statement.
